Mark Risley is an Emmy-winning director, writer, and showrunner whose work spans some of the most influential animated series in television history. He developed and ran the international hit Yo-kai Watch for Disney, a cultural phenomenon rooted in Japanese folklore that expanded across TV, games, and global merchandising. His credits include Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, As Told by Ginger, Rocket Power, Father of the Pride, The Mr. Men Show, and Space Racers, developed with NASA and Space Camp. His work has aired on every major kids' network and earned multiple Emmy nominations.
Risley also directed and produced the animated musical Flower of the Dawn, a stylized CGI and faux stop-motion feature based on the Grimms' fairy tale Jorinde and Joringel, starring Mel Brooks and Jane Lynch. The film recently screened at the SOHO Film Festival and is set to premiere on a major streaming platform.
He is currently developing Almost Super!, an animated superhero comedy set in Queens, New York, alongside the hybrid series I'M GOOD!
What sets Mark apart is his range, honoring cultural specificity in one project, directing ensemble comedy in another, building something entirely new in the next, without ever losing emotional precision or narrative clarity. Storycraft that honors the past. Execution that builds what's next.